Dual tank lamp base filler



Oct. 24, 1961 c. o. MERCHANT 3,005;474

DUAL TANK LAMP BASE FILLER Filed July 21, 1958 4 sheets-sheet 1INVENTOR. CHESTER O. MERCHANT Mimi ATTORNEY 1961 c. o. MERCHANT3,005,474

DUAL TANK LAMP BASE FILLER Filed July 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 )lo IZZg :t;:,L

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INVENTOR.

CHESTER QMERCHANT MZM ATTGRNEY Oct. 24, 1961 c. o. MERCHANT 3,005,474

DUAL TANK LAMP BASE FILLER Filed July 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Shget 3 FIG. 6

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CHESTER O. MERCHANT ATTORNEY Oct. 24, 1961 c. o. MERCHANT DUAL TANK LAMPBASE FILLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 21, 1958 FIG-.7

INVENTOR. CHESTER O. MERCHANT ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,005,474DUAL TANK LAMP BASE FILLER Chester 0. Merchant, Harborcreek Township,Erie County, Pa, assignor to Swanson-Erie Corporation, a corporation ofPennsylvania Filed July 21, 1958, Ser. No. 749,900 Claims. (Cl. 141104)This invention relates to processing machines and, more particularly, tomachines for depositing cement in lamp bulb bases.

()ne of the purposes of this invention is to overcome the productionloss and the high maintenance cost resulting from the use of previousmachines for depositing cement in lamp bulb bases, radio tubes, andother similar items sometimes referred to as receivers. Since the cementis highly viscous, pressure is required to extrude the required amountof cement from the depositing machine into the base in as short a timeas possible. This pressure was previously derived in two differentmanners. First, a screwthread circulating pump with a metered bypasscontrol delivered cement under pressure to the nozzle. This system isexpensive to maintain due to rapid wear of the scr w and the sleeve inwhich it rotates. This is because the cement contains materials whichare abrasive. This system has the advantage that it permits the additionof cement to the tank as required without stopping the filler machine.

Another method for filling cement bases is to provide a pressure tank inwhich the cement is exposed to air pressure which exerts sufiicientpressure on the cement to cause it to flow out of the nozzles at therequired rate. This method eliminates the high maintenance cost onmachinery encountered in the use of the screw type pressure applyingmeans but this method requires shut-down of the machine and pressurerelease to open the tank and refill the tank with cement.

The double tank apparatus disclosed herein employs a plurality of tankswith a special hardened selector valve which, in the case disclosed, isa two-way valve with which cement may be selectively drawn from eithertank. A flexible hose of sufficient size to permit the free flow ofcement to the head is provided and the head contains one or moredispensing nozzles to extrude the cement to the bases. The nozzlearrangement in this head is operated either by individual pistons builtinto the head or it may be actuated by a single cylinder externally ofthe head. The pistons connected to the nozzle rod are subjected to thesame air pressure on the lower side as is applied to the tank. Thiscreates an upward pressure as great or greater than the downwardpressure on the top of the poppet valve which makes up the nozzle sothat the spring which maintains the nozzle closed does not have to be ofgreat strength.

The operating rods are sealed by rubber like tubes connected to thelower rod guiding bushings and the lower end of the rod and the head ofthe valve. This prevents the cement from wearing the rods and bushings.The method disclosed herein permits continuous operation of the fillermachine since one tank may be filled while the machine is using cementfrom the other tank and an instantaneous change may be made from onetank to the other by means of a two-way valve. Therefore, the tankmethod disclosed herein has overcome the objectionable features of bothpreviously known methods.

The tanks are also mounted on linear slidable members to facilitate theconnection of the hose and the disconnection thereof for cleaningpurposes. A removable plate on the front of the head permits access forthe cleaning of the inside of the head or for the replacement of therubber sleeve over the valve rod.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to "ice overcomethe difiiculties and disadvantages in prior machines of the typedescribed herein and, more particularly, it is an object to provide amachine which is s mple in construction, economical to manufacture, andsimple and efficient in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an 1mproved nozzlearrangement in a cement dispensing tank for dispensing cement into lampbulb bases.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved machinehaving the ability to rapidly change from one supply tank of cement toanother without interrupting production.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved dispensingmachine.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consistsof the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the'accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understoodthat changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minordetails of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificingany of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 isa front view of a machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the machine shown'in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of a part of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the enlarged part shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2; v

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5of the valve for selectively connecting the tanks according to theinvention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the machine;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a piping diagram; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the nozzle shown in FIG. 8.

Now with more specific reference to the drawings, a machine having asupport 10 is shown having cement tanks 11 and 12. The tanks 11 and 12have support portions 13 and 14, respectively, which are provided withoutwardly extending support castings 15 and 16. The support castings 15and 16 are provided with bored bosses 17 and 18 which receive shafts 20and 19. The shafts 20 and 19 are supported on pillow blocks 21 and 22which rest on the machine frame. The pillow blocks 21 and 22 areprovided with grease fittings 2 and 25 by means of which the surfacebetween the shafts and the pillow blocks 21 and 22 may be lubricated.The castings 15 and 16 slide horizontally on the shafts 20 and 19 sothat the connecting and disconnecting of a flexible hose 27 for cleaningand otherwise will be facilitated. It is evident from FIG. 2 of thedrawings that while the hose 27 is flexible, it is of sufiicientrigidity due to its size that it holds the tanks 11 and 12 spaced adefinite distance from the element 75.

The support portions 13 and 14 are each provided with a groove 29 whichreceive the lower ends of drums 30 of the cement tanks 11 and 12 and theupper end of each of the drums 30 is received in grooves 32 in rimmembers 33. The drums 30 are squeezed into sealing engagement withsuitable gaskets 34 and 35 located in the grooves 29 and 32,respectively, by means of rods 36 which are provided with suitable nuts37 for drawing the rods 36 tightly and applying a tensile force thereon.This tensile force is transmitted to the rim members 33 and the supportportions 13 and 14 to hold the drums 30 firmly therebetween.

Covers 39 and 40 are clamped in position on the tops of the rim members33 by means of handwheels 41 and 42. The handwheels 41 and 42 engagethreaded members 43 and 44. The threaded members 43 and 44 are swingablyconnected to the rim members 33 by means of pins 45 and 46 which extendthrough cars 47 and 48 on the covers 39 and 40 to firmly hold thethreaded members 43 and 44 therein. The covers 39 and 40 are providedwith handles 49 and 50 which are convenient means for lifting the covers39 and 40.

Air from a line 200 flows through a regulator R1 to a cam operated valve155 and thence to the space above a piston 84 at a given pressure whenthe cam operated valve 155 is opened. Air also flows from the line 200through a regulator R2 to a line 51 at a lesser pressure.

The line or air pipe 51 supplies compressed air to a port 92 connectedto a space 83" below the piston 84 and to the inside of the tanks 11 and12 onto the top surface of the cement disposed in the tanks 11 and 12and forces the cement downwardly through a valve .53 which is shown opentoward the tank 11 in the position shown and out through the hose 27. Avalve 84B supplies air from a valve 141 to the space above the piston84. The air may be shut otf from the tank 11, by a three-way valve 135and from the tank 12 by a three-way valve 136. The valve 135 passes airfrom the pipe 51 in one position to the tank 11 and exhausts the tank 11through a port 138 in the other position. The valve 136 passes airthrough the pipe 51 to the tank 12 in one position and exhausts the tank12 through a port 138' inits other position.

The valve more particularly shown in. FIG. 6 is provided with an outsidesupport housing 55 which is an integral part of the support castings 15and 16. The outside housing 55 is bored to receive a valve body 57 andthe valve body 57 is in the form of a cylindrical member having flanges58 on one end thereof. The flanges 58 are clamped between a clampingring 59 on the end of the valve by means of screws 60 which threadablyengage the support housing 55. The other end of the valve body 57 isheld in abutment with a ring 61 which has peripherally spaced holesreceiving studs 62 which threadably engage the support housing 55. Athreaded bore 63 receives a nipple 64 and a flattened surface 65 isformed thereon for convenience in attaching a wrench thereto. The hose27 is connected to the nipple 64. The pillow blocks 21 and 22 aresupported on the support by means of bolts 67 and 63.

A cylindrical plug 168 of the valve has a handle 169 fitted into a holein a member 69 and held by a set screw 170 for rotating the plug 168 ofthe member 69. The member 69 is integrally attached to the plug 168 anda bore 70 extends axially and through one end of the plug 168 concentricthereto as particularly shown in FIG. 5. A port 72 of the plug 168 maybe turned to align with a port 71 in the valve body to connect the tank11 or the plug 168 may be rotated ninety degrees to align the port 71with a similar port (not shown) to connect the tank 12 With the hose 27.

The dispensing headis made up of a hollow casting 75 which has anupwardly extending flange 77 disposed at right angles to and integrallyattached to a web 78 for supporting an alcohol drip tank 172. A cylinder83' is supported on top of the head casting 75. The cylinder 83' has abore therein which slidably receives the piston 84. A hole in the lowerend of the cylinder 83' registers with a hole 80 in the top of thecasting 75. A piston rod 86 extends through thehole 80 into the cylinder83' and makes sealing engagement with the lower end of the cylinder 83'around the hole 80.

An upper end 87 of the piston rod 86 extends through a hole in the topof the cylinder 83' and up through a' sleeve 88 and into a cap 90. Thesleeve 88 rests on top of the cylinder 83' and has a collar 89A attachedthereto. A spring 89 is disposed around the sleeve 88 and rests at itslower end on the collar 89A and its upper end engages the cap 90. Thecap 90 is attached to the piston rod 86 by a nut 91 which urges the cap90 and piston rod 86 attached thereto upwardly, urging a valve 94 to aclosed position. The piston 84 has a ring 85 in a groove 82.

A valve head 106 dispenses the cement. The valve head 106 is attached tothe piston rod 86. A rib is fixed to inside walls 76 of the casting 75and the rib 100 has a. bore which receives the lower end of a pilot tube101. The pilot tube 101 receives the valve rod 86 and extends up intothe hole 80 and forms a tight fit in a counterbore 80a in the cylinder83' above the level of cement in the head 106.

A resilient tube 99 is disposed around the lower end of the rod 86 andattached to the valve head 106 at 102 and to the rib 100 at the upperend of the tube 99. Thus, the cement is kept from contact with the rod86 where it passes through the rib 100. This facilitates the operationof the valve since the rod 86 does not become eucrusted with cement.

As shown in FIG. 10, a sleeve 104 is disposed concentric to the valvehead 106 with a seating surface engagin the seating surface on the outerperiphery of the valve head 106. The sleeve 104 is held in place by anupper ring 108' which is clamped to the casting 75 by studs 108 and alower ring 133 which is clamped to the upper ring 108 by studs 133. Thelower ring 133 has a counterbore 160 which receives a collar 165 of thesleeve 104.

A radial bore 164 is formed in the ring 133 which communicates with thecounterbore 160. Alcohol from the tank 172 flows through a pipe 166 andaround the collar 165 in the coutnerbore 160 and thence flows over theouter surface of the sleeve 104. This washes excess cement 011 of theoutside of the sleeve 104 and prevents it from caking thereon.

In order to successfully dispense some cements which are used in lampbases, it is necessary that the valve head 106 be of a given thickness.This must be established by tests, depending upon the consistency of thecement to be dispensed.

A plate 189 is disposed on the front of the casting 75 and held in placeby means of bolts 110 to hold the plate 109 in place by means of whichthe plate 109 can be removed to inspect or clean the casting 75 and thehose 27. A connecting member 114 on the casting 75 is provided with acylindrical portion 115 and a flanged portion 116. The flanged portion116 has spaced holes 117 to clamp the flange 116 to the opening in anend 119 of the head casting 75. The hose 27 is connected to theconnecting member 114. A boss 121 is integrally attached to the casting75 and supports a roller 122 by means of an axle 123 attached to theframe by means of a bolt 124. The bolt 124 is provided with a nut forlocking it in place.

The support 10 is provided with an article advancing mechanism and alifting mechanism. A cam engages the roller 122 and raises and lowersthe casting 75. Meanwhile, a shuttle mechanism advances the articles toposition under the head 106. The piston rod 86 is connected by means ofthe solenoid valve 141 to the air line 200 and actuated by an air valve.

The casting 75 has laterally disposed bosses 126 which are bored toreceive fixed column members 127 extending outwardly from opposite sidesthereof which are fixed to the frame by means of blocks 128. The blocks128 are supported on the machine 10 at 129. The casting 75 can move upand down on the column members 127.

The bases for the lamps to be fed are contained in a vibratory partsfeeder 132 which is of the style shown in Patent No. 2,609,914. Thebases are fed down a track 133a in the manner described in the saidpatent to a suitable indexing device which will move the basessuccessively under the surface 105.

When two lamp bases have been moved into position under the dispensingheads, the dispensing heads are lowered by means of the loweringmechanism made up of a cam member 134 which engages the roller 122 andthe casting 75 is lowered onto the bases to bring the top of the baseinto sealing engagement with the studs 133'. Then air pressure isapplied in a space 92' above the piston 84 by air from the regulator R1at a time when the cam operated valve 155 is opened by a cam 137, thecam 137 being connected to a suitable driving mechanism on the supportoperated in synchronism with the lowering mechanism for the casting 75.

In practice, the earn 137 is driven by the shaft. The valve 155 may alsobe a solenoid operated valve actuated when the cam 137 closes a switch.The valve head 106 opens and a washer shaped slug of cement is forcedout between the sleeve 104 and the surface 105 into the lamp base. Theslug is concentric with the base. Then the cam 137 moves away from theactuating device of the valve 136 and the sleeve 104 is forced closed byair pressure below the piston 84 and the force of the spring 89.

When the cam 137 opens the valve 155, air is applied from the regulatorR1 to the space 92' above the piston 84 and since the regulator R1delivers air at from fifteen to twenty pounds per square inch more thanthe regulator R2, the pressure abovethe piston 84 overcomes the sum ofthe forces of the air below the piston 84 and the force of the spring 89and the piston 84 moves downwardly.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferredpractical forms but the structure shown is capable of modificationwithin a range of equivalents without departing from the invention whichis to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu- 1sive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as folows:

1. A machine for dispensing material in a semi-fluid state comprising amachine support. a hollow head spaced laterally from said machinesupport, a pair of spaced, vertically extending column members supportedon said support, means on said head receiving said column members for upand down movement thereon, valve means on said head, means forsupporting receivers to receive said material from said head under saidvalve means, said valve means comprising a valve sleeve movable in saidhead when said head is moved down. a valve head disposed in said sleeve,a valve rod attached to said valve head, an air piston on said valverod, a cylinder, said piston being slidable in said cylinder, air meansconnected to said cylinder to move said piston to open and close saidvalve head whereby a ring of said material is dispensed in one saidreceiver each time said piston opens said valve head, two tanks, spacedtrack members supported on said support, said tanks being slidablysupported on said track members, a flexible hose, said hose connectingsaid tanks to said hollow head and allowing said head to move relativeto said tanks, and a selector valve, said selector valve being disposedbetween said tanks and said hose and selectively connecting each saidtank to said hose and said head, and air pressure means to apply airpressure to cement in said tanks to force said semi-fluid materialthrough said hose into said valve head and out said valve means.

2. A machine for dispensing cement in a semi-fluid state into bases forlamp bulbs comprising a support, a plurality of tanks, spacedhorizontally disposed track members on said support supporting saidtanks for horizontal movement thereon, a generally straight, flexiblehollow hose, valve means selectively connecting said hose to the bottomof either for said tanks, a dispensing head rigidly supported on saidsupport and spaced laterally from said tanks and connected to said hoseto receive said cement from said tanks, said hose holding said tanks andsaid head at a generally constant spacing and at a position intermediatethe ends of said track members, column means supporting said head formovement up and down relative to said tanks, said head being movableupwardly to allow receivers to move thereunder and movable downwardly onsaid column means to engage said receivers whereby said receivers mayreceive said cement from said head, and second valve means fordispensing said cement from said head into said receivers.

3. A machine for dispensing cement into lamp bulb bases comprising asupport, a plurality of cement filled tanks, a head, said tanks beingspaced laterally from said head and being slidably supported on saidsupport, dispensing valve means on said head, a flexible hose connectingsaid tanks to said head, valve means for selectively disconnecting eachof said tanks from said hose, means to move bases to be filled undersaid head, means to move said head vertically down toward said bases andup away from said bases while said bases are being moved thereunder,said dispensing valve means comprising a cylindrical valve casingattached to said head and movable into the open end of each of saidbases, and a valve member in said valve casing closing said casing whenin closed position, said valve member being movable outwardly to definea ring shaped opening with said casing to allow a ring shaped quantityof cement to be forced therethrough from said head, said valve memberhaving means to close it to limit the flow of cement therefrom.

4. The machine recited in claim. 3 wherein a valve rod is connected tosaid valve means, a cylinder is disposed on said machine with a pistontherein, said valve rod being connected to said piston, said cylinderbeing disposed outside said head and said rod extending therethrough,and a flexible sleeve is attached to said valve rod adjacent said valvemember and connected to the inside wall of said head adjacent saidcylinder whereby said cement is kept out of engagement with said rod.

5. A machine for dispensing cement into lamp bulb bases comprising ahead, a support for said head, means to move bases to be filled undersaid head, means to move said head up and down into engagement With saidbases, two cement filled tanks spaced laterally from said head, meanssupporting said tanks for horizontal sliding on said support, flexiblehose means connecting said tanks to said head, air pressure means insaid tanks for forcing cement therefrom into said head, selector valvemeans selectively disconnecting either of said tanks, said valve meanscomprising a hollow cylindrical member attached to said head andextending therefrom, a valve head in said cylindrical member forming aclosure therefor, and means moving said valve head out of saidcylindrical member to define a ring shaped opening therebetween, saidair pressure means forcing said cement through said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS625,665 Franc May 23, 1899 721,854 Beiser Mar. 3, 1903 1,072,290 Wood etal. Sept. 2, 1913 1,681,929 De Armond et al. Aug. 28, 1928 1,822,117Travis Sept. 8, 1931 2,075,931 Eades Apr. 6, 1937 2,118,704 GruntkowskiMay 24, 1938 2,160,683 Spaeth May 30, 1939 2,167,438 Kaufman July 25,1939 2,548,003 Davidson Apr. 10, 1951 2,688,423 Davis Sept. 7, 19582,851,198 Rasmussen Sept. 9, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 861,850 France Nov.12, 1950

